Based on analysis of multiple outside rankings, Castor is an average Democratic member of Congress, meaning she will vote with the Democratic Party on the majority of bills.

Biography

Castor was born in Miami, Florida, and raised in Tampa. She holds a bachelors degree in political science from Emory University, which she earned in 1988, and proceeded to earn a J.D. from Florida State University College of Law in 1991.[2][3]

Issues

Campaign themes

2012

Excerpt: "Kathy believes that every child deserves a good education and she has worked hard to ensure that each student has the chance to succeed through her work with Pell Grants, student loans, Upward Bound and Head Start. She has also worked diligently to fend off Republican cuts to students, schools, colleges and universities."

Environment

Excerpt: "Kathy is a proven leader when it comes to environmental protection, clean energy, smart growth management policies and maintaining a flourishing natural environment. She is concerned about the quality of the environment and is dedicated to protecting Florida’s beaches, unique ecosystems, and the economies that rely on them."

Jobs and the Economy

Excerpt: "Kathy spearheaded new jobs and investments in the Tampa Bay area, including the Port of Tampa, Port Manatee, University of South Florida, the Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa International Airport, MacDill Airforce Base, and new and expanded community health centers."

Medicare

Excerpt: "Kathy is an outspoken champion for Medicare and our older neighbors. She is fighting back against the recent Republican efforts to end Medicare as we know it, which would increase costs for beneficiaries and prorate senior healthcare through vouchers."

Transportation

Excerpt: "Kathy knows the importance of investing in Tampa Bay’s transportation and infrastructure. Infrastructure investments create jobs, grow the economy, and improve the quality of life for residents."

Specific votes

Fiscal Cliff

Castor voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. She was one of 172 Democrats that voted in favor of the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257/167 vote on January 1, 2013.[6]

Full history

To view the full congressional electoral history for Kathy Castor, click [show] to expand the section.

2010

On November 2, 2010, Kathy Castor won re-election to the United States House. She defeated Mike Predergast (R) in the general election.[8]

U.S. House, Florida District 11 General Election, 2010

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Democratic

Kathy Castorincumbent

59.6%

91,328

Republican

Mike Predergast

40.4%

61,817

Total Votes

153,145

2008

On November 4, 2008, Kathy Castor won re-election to the United States House. She defeated Eddie Adams, Jr. (R) in the general election.[9]

U.S. House, Florida District 11 General Election, 2008

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Democratic

Kathy Castorincumbent

71.7%

184,106

Republican

Eddie Adams, Jr.

28.3%

72,825

Total Votes

256,931

2006

On November 7, 2006, Kathy Castor won election to the United States House. She defeated Eddie Adams, Jr. (R), Jim Greenwald (Write-in) and R.J. Spencer (Write-in) in the general election.[10]

U.S. House, Florida District 11 General Election, 2006

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Democratic

Kathy Castor

69.7%

97,470

Republican

Eddie Adams, Jr.

30.3%

42,454

Write-in

Jim Greenwald

0%

13

Write-in

R.J. Spencer

0%

5

Total Votes

139,942

Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Castor is available dating back to 2006. Based on available campaign finance records, Castor raised a total of $3,911,816 during that time period. This information was last updated on April 4, 2013.[11]

Lifetime voting record

According to the website GovTrack, Castor missed 212 of 5,226 roll call votes from Jan 2007 to Mar 2013. This amounts to 4.1%, which is worse than the median of 2.2% among current congressional representatives as of March 2013.[15]

Congressional staff salaries

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Castor paid her congressional staff a total of $914,951 in 2011. She ranks 30th on the list of the lowest paid Democratic Representative Staff Salaries and she ranks 158th overall of the lowest paid Representative Staff Salaries in 2011. Overall, Florida ranks 36th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[16]

Net worth

2011

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Castor's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $707,058 and $2,384,000. That averages to $1,545,529, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic Representatives in 2011 of $5,107,874. Her average net worth increased by 32.78% from 2010.[17]

2010

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Castor's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $575,035 and $1,753,000. That averages to $1,164,017.50, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic Representatives in 2010 of $4,465,875 .[18]

National Journal vote ratings

2012

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Castor ranked 90th in the liberal rankings in 2012.[19]

2011

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Castor ranked 115th in the liberal rankings.[20]

Voting with party

2013

Kathy Castor voted with the Democratic Party 92.9 of the time, which ranked 196 among the 201 House Democratic members as of June 2013.[21]

Personal

Kathy and her husband, Bill Lewis, have two daughters, Julia and Chrissy. She is the daughter of former USF President and Florida Education Commissioner, Betty Castor, and retired Hillsborough County Judge, Don Castor.[3]

Recent news

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